soft-pedal

soft-pedal something

to play something down; to de-emphasize something. (Alludes to the soft pedal on the piano, which reduces the volume.) Try to soft-pedal the problems we have with the cooling system. I won't soft-pedal anything. Everyone must know the truth.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Anoush	-	Armenian
Darcy	['dɑ:si]
Bernadette	[.bə:nə'det]
Joby	JO-bee	English (Rare)
Mami	mah-mee	Japanese
Ethel	ETH-əl	English